Sixteen pages is all it takes for horror to unfold in an old hotel. Author Penny Moonz’s The Hotel is about a mother and son who stay at a hotel during a snowstorm, only to end up fighting for their lives.
Kate and her 3-year old Justin decide to, instead of braving the raging snow and ice outside, stay for the night at a roadside hotel. Apparently near-full, the hotel boasts a certain charm — and a certain eeriness. As they sleepily head to their room, Kate is struct with fear as she sees a tall, oddly-dressed man knocking on doors one-by-one. Her fear is realized when there comes a knock at her door just after midnight.
The Hotel is probably the shortest book I have ever read (besides children’s books). But that certainly doesn’t mean this story is short on scares. From the beginning, Moonz sets the scene with language easily imagined in your brain. I can hear the opening of doors, feel the stuffiness in the elevator, feel the warmth of a cup of hot coffee or chocolate, and smell the moldy fumes emanating from the tall man’s bug sprayer.
It is amazing how The Hotel could pack so much fear into such a tiny book. At first you’re wondering what the deal is with all these characters, imagining what will come next. What actually does come is straight out of a 50s B-movie. While the villain is alluded to, the blood and gore alongside it is totally unexpected — but much appreciated. Every twist and turn down these hotel hallways bodes something frightening, and as Kate returns to her room… the book ends.
Moonz’s The Hotel is jam-packed with frights fit for an anthology film or even a campfire tale. It has all the makings of a great short horror story with a read-time of a lunchbreak. Read this book; you won’t regret it!
Check out The Hotel on Goodreads and give Penny Moonz a follow on Instagram and on their website.
